**** Noise from engine at start-up *****

[big3.mango]

Hi guys,
I'm a newbie here and I hope to get some help from you guys. This is regarding my honie*b 2000 gls, automatic, 75,000 miles. I bought it from the first owner 2 weeks ago, had it inpsected at a mechanic shop and replaced rear brake pads (squealing noise), rear shocks (something about uneven wear tires caused by bad shocks), and the serpentine belt (noticeable cracks and noise that comes from the engine while it warms up, goes away after a minute or 2). Now everything has been improved except for that noise. It is perhaps worse since before the replacement I heard the noise only in the morning at cold start (well not so much of a cold start since it's hella hot this time of the year in San Jose), but now it is there everytime I start up after 3-4 hours not driven. Before the replacement I went through several car forums and was convinced that it was the serpentine belt, became more definite when the mechanic said the same thing. But what's going on now? I left the car one day for him to hear the noise, but he seemed not to catch it, he said everything is fine, only I know that it's not. It's most obvious in the morning, and only goes on for like a minute, the moment it stops, you can definitely see the difference since the engine sounds much smoother. I even tried to record the noise this morning and realized that it is not that loud in the engine compartment, probably because of the running engine, you can hear it better from under the car, either driver or passenger side. Oh and after it goes away, if I turn on the A/C the noise comes right back, again for like couple minutes. I was able to show my mechanic this, but he said it is absolutely normal as the engine needs a little time to kick in. Now what should I do with honie*b ? Pls help !

[from Margaritaville...]

First things first! Welcome to the Org and all that it has become. Be sure to chime in for some fun and fellowship as well as technical assistance. Secondarily, any mechanic who says noises are normal is just lazy. Funky noises are NOT normal (though they may be innoccuous). It's as hot here in Sacramento as it is two hours away in San Jose and we have no noises upon start up. I would flush out the pulley/ shaft contact areas with liberal doses of silicone spray (not WD-40). I had horrific squealing from my A/C compressor a few weeks ago, when it was NOT engaged. I flushed it with silicone spray and after a week, it went away completely (it was likely a tiny pebble).

[azander]

I have the same problem upon start-up. I took my NB to the shop for maintenance and was told the problem had something to do with the starter. I had the starter replace but the noise persists. Just at a higher pitch. NB going into another shop today for a second opinion. Will keep you posted.

[jackfrost]

it could be the secondary air injection, is it a whiney noise? if it is, its a perfectly normal noise and they all do it at a cold start up and your idle will be a bit higher, then when it kicks off your idle will come down and the car will sound smooth

[vagva]

i had the same problem after a service,,,noise from machine in the morning!!it was like a hairdryer's noise,,, so i went back one day and they fix one tube...it was for warming up the machine

[from Margaritaville...]

Hey there my Greek brother, I am Armenian. My 20 year old daughter makes great dolmas by hand. My relatives are gone now so I get little of my ethnic heritage diet, but when I do...WOW!!!
What I wouldn't give right now to be dining at a seaside cafe out there...Man!

[big3.mango]

My work has been crazy these days so I didn't have the time to check back, thanks all for your replies. To Alan Margosian, your post is totally out of the blue here >_< Well back to the problem, the noise still persists, I wouldn't say it's high pitched, sounds more like a running drive belt that gets in contact with some minor, very minor since the noise is tolerable, metal parts on its way. It makes my engine sound a bit like an old 1970s car, well not that bad but you get the idea.

[big3.mango]

Alan Margosian, I forgot to say thanks for your warm welcome . As I read your reply again, what do you mean by "flush out the pulley/ shaft contact areas with liberal doses of silicone spray (not WD-40)"? Sorry I'm a complete dummy when it comes to cars so could you be a bit more specific? I came across some posts sugestting to spray the drive belt with "some" chemical and it would quiet down, but I also heard it is only a temporary solution and could damage "some" system because the chemial gets in every corner as the belt runs. I have no idea !

[vagva]

Originally Posted by Alan Margosian

Hey there my Greek brother, I am Armenian. My 20 year old daughter makes great dolmas by hand. My relatives are gone now so I get little of my ethnic heritage diet, but when I do...WOW!!!
What I wouldn't give right now to be dining at a seaside cafe out there...Man!

[dunno513]

Timing Belt !

[big3.mango]

I've heard so many opinions up to now, could be as minor as belt noise, tensioner, and now timing belt? I'll really cry if it's the timing belt, it's only 75,xxx, would it be so soon?

[dunno513]

The belt itself may be fine, but if a tensioner or roller is getting ready to let loose, then it will take the belt with it. I'm not savy with the gassers, but if they are like the TDI's and have an upper belt cover that is easy to get off and take a looksie, that would be my first course to check belt condition.

I'm also not certain, but I think broken belts on the gassers only leave you stranded while they ruin engines on the interference engines of the TDI. Correct me if I am wrong, but I would be far more likely to drive a gasser till it pops than I would a TDI

As for mileage, some models had 40k auto or 60k manual belt change requirements. Not sure on the gas models, but I wouldn't think they would be far behind.

[big3.mango]

Thanks for your response Porkchop, you have answered a lot of my questions recently, I'm so thankful! I can't afford the timing belt/water pump at this moment, I might wait til it hits 85k-90k to get it done.

Trying to pinpoint the origin of the noise, I got myself all confused. If I stand in front of the car, I hardly can hear anything except for the engine running. It sounds all good, smooth and healthy. Only when I stepped to the side of the car or sat down next to the tires, the noise is more prominent.
Regarding the pump, so not every Volkswagen has it? I recalled my mechanic also said something about the air injection getting clogged or something. How can I get it confirmed if it is this pump and that it's all normal?